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The Florida Geological Survey, Division of Administrative and Technical
Services, Department of Environmental Protection, is publishing "1994 and
1995 Florida Petroleum Production and Exploration" as its Information
Circular 111. This information is useful to the state and to the oil and gas
industry in planning wise development and conservation of Florida's oil and
gas resources.

Florida oil production began to decline in 1979 and generally has
continued to do so; however, production increased by eight percent from 1993
to 1994. Production then declined by six percent during 1995. Two of the
south Florida oil fields (Sunoco Felda and Sunniland) are nearing the end of
their production history. The last reported production from Sunniland field was
in 1991 and the last reported production from Sunoco Felda field was in 1992.
Exploration activity during 1994 and 1995 was very limited. There were
no exploratory wells drilled, however, one well which was completed in 1993
is included in this report because the completion report was received in 1994.
This Santa Rosa County well was plugged and abandoned as a dry hole.
Geophysical exploration during 1994 and 1995 covered only 22.5 miles
of seismic lines in the Florida panhandle, 20.3 miles of seismic lines in south
Florida, and 102 miles of gravity survey in south Florida. In addition to this
completed geophysical exploration, a permit application was pending for an
extensive offshore seismic, gravity, and magnetic survey. A similar area was
covered by an approved permit during 1992/93 but the permit expired with
only minimal magnetic exploration having been conducted. This exploration
would potentially explore a dense grid off Florida's Gulf coast extending from
offshore of Apalachicola, Franklin County to offshore of Naples, Collier County.
One exploratory well was being drilled in federal waters off Florida at
the close of 1995. This well .will be the fourth drilled in the Destin Dome area
by Chevron. Two of the previously drilled wells were classified by the federal
government as producible Norphlet gas discoveries.
A summary of offshore exploratory drilling is included in this report, as
well as descriptions of each of Florida's 22 oil fields. The descriptions include
discovery data, geologic information, and production totals.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Several Florida Geological Survey staff members contributed to this
report. Special recognition goes to Jim LeBar, Petroleum Engineer with the FGS
Oil and Gas Section, for his significant contributions. Jim updated several field
structure maps, compiled production statistics, and provided historical and
current information on field development, production and exploration. Don
Hargrove and Ed Garrett assisted in using and interpreting well and geophysical
permit files. Ed Garrett, Jim LeBar, Tom Scott, Walt Schmidt, Deborah Mekeel
and Ed Lane reviewed the manuscript and suggested improvements. Jim Jones
and Ted Kiper provided base maps, reviewed and suggested improvements to
the graphics, and drafted some of the original figures which were updated
from earlier petroleum reports. Kim Staubinger (Accounting Systems Analyst,
Florida Department of Revenue) provided oil and gas severance tax data.

There are two major oil
producing areas in Florida. One is the
Sunniland trend in south Florida and
the other is the Jay trend in the
western panhandle area. The Sunniland
trend includes 14 oil fields; the western
panhandle includes eight. Appendix 1
lists the discovery well data for these
fields.
South Florida production began
with Florida's first oil discovery at
Sunniland field in September, 1943. Of
the 14 south Florida oil fields, seven
are active, three are temporarily shut-
in, and four are plugged and
abandoned. These fields are oriented
along a northwest-southeast trend
through Lee, Hendry, Collier, and Dade
Counties (Figure 1). This trend has
become known as the Sunniland trend.
Production is principally from rudistid
reefs found in the upper one hundred
feet of the Lower Cretaceous
Sunniland Formation (Figure 2). Depth
to Sunniland production averages about
11,500 feet.
Production in the western
panhandle began with the discovery of
Jay field in June, 1970. The eight
panhandle oil fields are located in
Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties,
Florida (Figure 3). Five fields are active
and three are plugged and abandoned.
Production is from Upper Jurassic

Appendix 2 lists 1994, 1995,
and cumulative production statistics for
each of Florida's oil fields including oil,
gas, and water production data.
Appendix 3 lists 1994 and 1995 field
well statistics including the number of
production, injection, shut-in, and
temporarily abandoned wells for each
field.
Florida oil production peaked at
47.5 million barrels in 1978.
Production began to decline in 1979
and generally has continued to do so
since then (Figure 5). Total oil
production for 1994, however, was
6,073,038 barrels, up eight percent
from 1993. Oil production then
decreased by six percent during 1995
for a 1995 total of 5,681,618 barrels.
Total gas production increased five
percent in 1994 and decreased 15
percent in 1995. Gas production totals
were 8,446,904 thousand cubic feet
(MCF) in 1994 and 7,171,557 MCF in
1995.

The
production
increase
northwest

short term increase in
in 1994 was due to an
in production in both
Florida and south Florida.

Florida Geological Survey

EXPLANATION

ACTIVE OIL FIELD
INACTIVE OIL FIELD

LOCATION

0 10 20 MILES
0 10 20 30 KILOMETERS

Figure 1. South Florida oil field location map

Information Circular 111

STAGE

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- 115
- 125 -
-130
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- 140

GROUPS AND FORMATIONS I LITHOLOGY

RATTLESNAKE HAMMOCK
FORMATION

zo LAKE TRAFFORD
FORMATION /
0
SUNNILAND FORMATION I' I

PUNTA GORDA ANHYDRITE

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WEST FELDA SHALE

The increase in south Florida oil
production was most likely due to field
or well-specific management (Ed
Garrett, Professional Geologist, Florida
Geological Survey, personal
communication, 1996). The general
trend, however, will probably continue
to be a declining trend, with two of the
south Florida oil fields recently at or
near the end of their production
history. The last reported production
from Sunniland field was in 1991,
while the last reported production from
Sunoco Felda field was in 1992. All
producing wells at Sunoco Felda have
been plugged and abandoned. In
addition, the single producing well at
Lake Trafford field has been
periodically shut-in due to mechanical
problems and has been producing only
sporadically since March 1988. Finally,
the operator of Pepper Hammock field
has proposed that the field's single
well be plugged and abandoned
because it is non-commercial (Jim
LeBar, Petroleum Engineer, Florida
Geological Survey, personal
communication, 1996).
The Jay field was discovered in
1970 and reached peak production in
1978. It accounts for about 68 percent
of the 1994 oil production total, about
67 percent of the 1995 total, and
about 70 percent of the cumulative
total. Figure 6 graphically compares
statewide annual oil production with
Jay field annual oil production for 1970
through 1995, clearly showing Jay
field's dominance in Florida oil
production trends. The Jay field
production curve is typical of oil fields

produced with tertiary recovery
methods (David Curry, Oil and Gas
Section Administrator, Florida
Geological Survey, personal
communication, 1992). Production has
generally leveled off since 1987 (Figure
6). This agrees with the projections
made by Christian et al. (1981) in their
discussion of tertiary recovery
estimates for Jay field. They estimated
that tertiary recovery would be
terminated in 1996, followed by rapid
decline to depletion in about 2004.
However, this type of level production
is difficult to project because it
depends, not only on enhanced
recovery methods, but also on the
price per barrel of oil. Current
projections by Jim LeBar (Petroleum
Engineer, Florida Geological Survey,
personal communication, 1 996) predict
production through 2010.
Figure 7 is a histogram
comparing 1993, 1994, and 1995 oil
production for all Florida oil fields
except the Jay field. Jay field data
would obscure the information for all
other fields since its production for
1993 was more than six times greater
than that of Raccoon Point field, the
next most productive field in Florida
during 1993. Northwest Florida
production increased by five percent
from 1993 to 1994 and decreased by
ten percent from 1994 to 1995. South
Florida production increased by 22
percent from 1993 to 1994 and by
four percent from 1994 to 1995. Oil
and gas severance taxes collected for
1994 and 1995 totaled 7.3 million
dollars and 7.7 million dollars,

There were no new development
wells completed during 1994; only one
development well and its sidetrack
were completed and abandoned in
1995 (Appendix 4). The original well
was drilled in Mt. Carmel field in Santa
Rosa County to a total depth of
15,077 feet below MSL and
encountered the Smackover Formation
at 14,871 feet below MSL and the
Norphlet Sandstone at 15,125 feet
below MSL. The well had an oil show,
however, it was directionally drilled
beyond the limits of the permitted
irregular drilling unit, and thus had to
be sidetracked to a permitted bottom
hole location (Jim LeBar, Petroleum
Engineer, Florida Geological Survey,
personal communication, 1996). The
sidetrack well reached a total depth of
1 5,169 feet below MSL and drilled into
the Smackover at '14,822 feet below
MSL and the Norphlet at 15,076 feet
below MSL. The well is in the process
of being plugged and abandoned as a
dry hole.
There were no exploratory wells
drilled during 1994 and 1995,
however, a well drilled in 1993 is
included in this report because it was

not reported on until 1994 and was
excluded from the previous biennial
report on petroleum activities (Lloyd,
1994). This well was drilled in Santa
Rosa County, about four miles south of
Blackjack Creek field (Appendix 5,
Figure 8). The well was drilled to a
total depth of 16,414 feet below MSL
and encountered the Smackover
Formation at about 15,959 feet below
MSL and the Norphlet Sandstone at
about 16,314 feet below MSL. There
were no oil or gas shows in either the
Smackover or the Norphlet and the
well was plugged and abandoned as a
dry hole.

PROPOSED EVERGLADES
EXPLORATION

As discussed in the 1992/93
report (Lloyd, 1994) on petroleum
activity in Florida, Shell Western had
proposed drilling a wildcat well on the
Miccosukee Indian Reservation located
within the Everglades in south Florida.
At the end of 1993, the Bureau of
Land Management was in the process
of finalizing the Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) for the proposed
exploration and an announcement of
the federal "record of decision" was
expected in summer 1994. On August
1, 1994 Shell Western officially
withdrew its application to drill this
exploratory well. Following the
withdrawal, the Miccosukee Tribe
announced that it intends to make an
effort to find others interested in
pursuing exploration of the
Reservation's mineral potential.

Information Circular 111

2.5 TIMES ENLARGEMENT

LEGEND
APPROXIMATE WELL LOCATION
P-280 FLORIDA PERMIT NUMBER

A WELL COMPLETED IN 1993, ', 9-
NOT REPORTED UNTIL 1994 p-1275- -
-vD

SCALE

0 50 100 150 MILES
I I I
0 80 160 240 KILOMETERS ,

FcGS0204q'

Figure 8. Updated map of 1992 and 1993 exploration wells. There were no new
exploration wells drilled during 1994 or 1995.

Florida Geological Survey

The drill site would have been on
Indian land north of Interstate 75 and
just west of the L-28 canal in Broward
County. The well was to be
directionally drilled with the bottom of
the hole located beneath one of south
Florida's protected water conservation
areas. The proposed location was
about 12 miles northeast of Raccoon
Point oil field which produces from the
Cretaceous Sunniland Formation
(Figure 2) at about 11,375 feet below
mean sea level (MSL). Raccoon Point
field is currently the southeastern-most
producing field in the Sunniland trend
(Figure 1).

OFFSHORE DRILLING ACTIVITY

State ownership of the
continental shelf off Florida extends
three miles into the Atlantic Ocean and
about 10.4 miles (three marine
leagues) into the Gulf of Mexico. The
federal government controls resources
beyond these state boundaries out to
200 miles. The Outer Continental Shelf
(OCS) is a jurisdictional term that
describes the offshore area which is
under control of the federal
government. "Federal waters," in this
context, does not refer to ownership,
but rather to responsibility (Johnson
and Tucker, 1987).

Exploratory Drilling in State Waters

A total of 19 wells were drilled
in Florida state waters between 1947
and 1983 (Appendix 6 and Figure 9).
Effective July 1992, all drilling activity

was prohibited in Florida state waters
(Lloyd and Ragland, 1991), except for
within pre-existing lease areas. Only
one company, Coastal Petroleum, has
pre-existing mineral-rights leases in
Florida state waters. Coastal has held
leases since 1947 for an area
extending from Apalachicola Bay to
Naples. The leases originally included
all acreage within state waters
extending out to 10.4 miles offshore.
The leases were renegotiated in 1975,
leaving Coastal with full lease rights
from 7.4 to 10.4 miles and partial
lease rights within the remaining
portion of the original lease area. The
outer lease area is shown as the
offshore shaded area on Figure 10 (this
coincides with the company's proposed
geophysical exploration area).
The information obtained from
the 19 wells that were drilled in state
waters prior to the ban may be useful
in future decisions concerning offshore
exploration and development in federal
waters. The 19 offshore wells tested
three different potential oil horizons.
Ten of the wells were within the south
Florida Basin (off Charlotte and Lee
Counties and off the Florida Keys,
Monroe County, Figures 9 and 11) and
targeted the Lower Cretaceous. The six
wells drilled off the Florida panhandle
sought to extend the onshore (and
offshore Alabama) Jurassic production
(Figures 3 and 9). The remaining three
wells drilled off the northern portion of
the Gulf coast (Permits 304, 382 and
383) were Cretaceous or possibly
Paleozoic tests (Applegate and Lloyd,
1985).

As shown in Appendix 6, only
one of the wells drilled in state waters
had a significant oil show. A drill stem
test of the Gulf Oil-Florida State Lease
826-Y (Permit 275), located near the
Marquesas Keys off Monroe County,
recovered 15 barrels of 22 A.P.I.
gravity oil and 14.1 barrels of saltwater
from the Lake Trafford (?) Formation.
Another well, which was drilled in
federal waters near the Marquesas,
tested black saltwater in the Lake
Trafford and Sunniland Formations and
in the Brown Dolomite Zone of the
Lehigh Acres Formation (Applegate and
Lloyd, 1985).

Exploratory Drilling in
Federal Waters, Offshore Florida

The first federal oil and gas lease
sale off Florida was conducted in May,
1959 off the Florida Keys in what is
now the Straits of Florida Planning
Area. Ten additional OCS lease sales
have occurred since then; seven in the
Eastern Gulf of Mexico Planning Area
and three in the South Atlantic
Planning Area. There have been no
sales in the Straits of Florida Planning
Area off Florida since the 1959 sale.
The last lease sale in the South Atlantic
Planning Area off Florida was Sale 78
in July, 1983. Leases in the Eastern
Planning Area are shown on Figure 12.
The two most recent lease sales
off Florida were in the Eastern Planning
Area. They were Sales 79 and 94, held
in January, 1984 and January, 1985,
respectively. Lease sales 79 and 94 are
discussed in Applegate and Lloyd

(1985) and Lloyd and Applegate
(1987).
The State of Florida has
responded to the public's
environmental concerns by objecting to
future lease sales and exploration in
federal waters off the Florida coast. In
response to these concerns, the federal
government excluded all areas
originally proposed off the Florida coast
in Eastern Planning Area Sale 116, held
in November 1988. The federal
government also agreed to pay nine oil
companies a total of $200 million for
73 leases off the Florida coast south of
260north latitude (Pulley Ridge and
Howell Hook areas, Figure 12). This
settlement permanently excludes the
southwest Florida area from petroleum
exploration, but does not affect. the
area off Florida's panhandle. Florida's
Governor Lawton Chiles has said that
he will continue to fight for protection
of the remainder of the Florida Gulf
coastline and is pressing for a
permanent 100-mile wide buffer zone
around the entire Florida coastline. The
100-mile buffer will be excluded from
the next Minerals Management Service
five-year (1997-2002) lease plan.
At the close of 1995, Chevron
was in the process of drilling an
exploratory well in the Destin Dome
area, 26 miles south of Pensacola,
Florida (Block 57, Figure 12, map
location code 40). Chevron has
successfully drilled two producible
Norphlet wells in this area (Block 56,
Figure 12, map location code 32)
(Lloyd, 1992). In addition to the two
Chevron wells, the Amoco-8338 well,

Information Circular 111

which was completed in Destin Dome
block 111 in 1987, was also a
Norphlet discovery described by Gould
(1989) as a producible field (Figure 12,
map location code 31). This was the
first commercial discovery in the
Eastern Gulf of Mexico Planning Area
(Gould, 1989). These discoveries
extend the offshore Norphlet gas trend
(which is highly productive off Mobile
Bay, Alabama) seaward and eastward
from the Mobile map area of the
Central Gulf of Mexico Planning Area,
offshore Alabama, into the Florida
offshore.
In addition to these Norphlet gas
discoveries, another Amoco well drilled
in DeSoto Canyon, Block 133 (Figure
12, map location code 38) was
apparently judged to be producible
from a Miocene fan deposit (depth to
producing horizon is not known). The
location is approximately 100 miles
south of the Florida-Alabama border; it
is not known whether this will spur
further interest in federal waters off
Florida in this area.

1994 AND 1995 GEOPHYSICAL
EXPLORATION ACTIVITY

Geophysical exploration during
1994 and 1995 included 102 miles of
gravity survey and 42.8 miles of
seismic survey. Appendix 7
summarizes the data for the three
permits covering these areas. The
gravity survey was completed in
Highlands County (Figure 10) in an
area northeast of the Sunniland
producing trend. Of the 42.8 miles of

seismic survey, 22.5 miles were
located in Santa Rosa County
southeast of the known Smackover
production. The remaining 20.3 miles
were located in south Florida in Lee,
Hendry and Collier Counties within the
Sunniland producing area.
An additional permit application
was pending at the end of 1995 which
included an extensive offshore area.
This application includes seismic,
gravity, and magnetic surveys of a
dense grid off of Florida's Gulf coast
extending from offshore of
Apalachicola, Franklin County to
offshore of Naples, Collier County
(Figure 10). The permit application is
incomplete at this time and does not
provide seismic mileage or
gravity/magnetic survey details. The
same area was permitted for
exploration in July 1992, however, the
permit expired in July 1993 with
minimal activity (magnetometer survey
off Franklin and Gulf Counties) reported
to the Department of Environmental
Protection.

FLORIDA OIL FIELD DESCRIPTIONS

Applegate and Lloyd (1985) and
Lloyd (1991) provide a brief history of
each of Florida's oil fields including
discovery data, geologic information,
and production totals. Structure maps
were presented whenever possible.
These publications are now out-of-
print; therefore, this information is
summarized again and presented in this
report. Fields are discussed in
approximate geographic order from

north to south and west to east
(Figures 1 and 3). More detailed
information is presented for the five oil
fields discovered since 1985. These
are Bluff Springs, McDavid, Coldwater
Creek, and McLellan fields in north
Florida and Corkscrew field in south
Florida.

North Florida Oil Field Summaries

INTRODUCTION

Production in north Florida began
with the discovery of Jay field in June,
1970. There are now eight panhandle
oil fields located in Escambia and Santa
Rosa Counties, Florida (Figure 3). Five
fields are active and three are plugged
and abandoned. Production is from
Upper Jurassic Smackover Formation
carbonates and Norphlet Sandstone
sands (Figure 4).
Jay field is located within a
trend which extends through Escambia
and Santa Rosa Counties in Florida,
and Escambia County, Alabama. Other
fields within the trend include Mt.
Carmel, Coldwater Creek, and
Blackjack Creek fields in Florida and
Fanny Church, Flomaton, and Big
Escambia Creek fields in Alabama. The
fields are located along a normal fault
complex which rims the Gulf Coast
through Alabama, Mississippi,
Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas
(Moore, 1984).
Bluff Springs and McDavid fields
are located west and southwest of the
Jay trend in an area known to be
underlain by Louann Salt, with seismic

studies indicating salt-induced fault
structures in the overlying formations
(Lloyd and Applegate, 1987). The
remaining two north Florida oil fields,
McLellan and Sweetwater Creek, are
located east of the Jay trend, near the
approximate updip limits of the
Smackover Formation (Lloyd, 1989;
Applegate et al., 1978; Ottman et al.,
1973 and 1976) and could be the
result of stratigraphic pinchouts. They
are also located within the area known
to be underlain by the Louann Salt and
may have salt-related trap structures.
Current data does not reveal which
trapping mechanism produced the
Smackover reservoirs for these fields.

BLUFF SPRINGS FIELD

Bluff Springs field was
discovered on March 25, 1984 and
was plugged and abandoned in 1991
after producing a total of 242,000
barrels of oil solely from the discovery
well (Appendices 1 and 2). The
discovery well, the Stone Petroleum
Corp. St. Regis Paper Co. number 29-4
(permit 1125), was a rank wildcat
located in Section 29, Township 5
North, Range 31 West, Escambia
County. It is approximately 10 miles
west-southwest of Jay field and
approximately four miles southeast of
the nearest previously drilled wildcat,
permit 1177 (Figures 3 and 13). This
area, west and southwest of Jay, is
known to be underlain by Louann Salt,
with seismic studies indicating salt-
induced fault structures in the overlying
formations (Lloyd and Applegate,

1987). Seismic data has been
interpreted by Hughes Eastern
Corporation (1988) to indicate several
small structures in a northwest-to-
southeast trend in this specific area.
The discovery well produced
477 barrels of oil and 170 barrels of
saltwater per day. Oil gravity was
57.00 A.P.I. Production was from
Jurassic-age Smackover Formation
dolostones from -16,154 to -16,161
feet MSL. These dolostones are dark
brownish-gray to brownish-black, fine
grained, microcrystalline, and show
evidence of recrystallization from
originally oolitic and possibly pelletal
faces (Lloyd, 1986; Lloyd and
Applegate, 1987).
The offset well, permit 1136
(Stone Petroleum Corporation St.
Regis Paper Company number 29-3)
was drilled about one-half mile
northwest of the discovery well (Figure
13). The Smackover Formation was
encountered at -16,171 feet MSL,
structurally 17 feet lower than in the
discovery well (Figure 14). The well
produced only saltwater from two thin
zones (-16,182 to -16,185 feet MSL
and -16,192 to -16,195 feet MSL;
Figure 14) within the upper
Smackover. Core analysis by Location
Sample Service, Inc. (LSS), Jackson,
Mississippi, yielded mean porosity
estimates for these zones of 11.4 and
8.4 percent, respectively. LSS found a
trace of oil in one sample at -16,185
feet MSL. This well may be located too
low on the structure. Alternatively, as
shown on the structure map (Figure
13) drawn by Hughes Eastern

Corporation (1988; based on
geophysical and well data), Hughes
believes there may be a permeability
barrier between the discovery well and
this well.
Ownership of the discovery well
transferred to Hughes Eastern
Corporation in 1985. Permits were
issued to Hughes Eastern to drill two
additional offsets, one east and one
southeast of the discovery well
(permits 1204 and 1205, Figure 13).
Permit 1204'was completed in August
1986. The Smackover was again found
at a structurally lower position (Figure
14), this time 44 feet lower. Two
zones of saltwater production were
also encountered (-16,208 to -16,211
feet MSL and -16,215 to -16,233 feet
MSL; Figure 14). LSS core analysis
yielded mean porosity estimates of
23.9 and 13.6 percent, respectively,
and no indications of oil. As interpreted
by Hughes Eastern Corporation (1988)
(Figure 13), the Smackover in this well
is below the probable oil-water contact.
The third offset, permit 1205, was not
drilled. The location for permit 1205 is
actually closer to McDavid field
(discussed below) and is outside the
potential productive limits drawn by
Hughes Eastern Corporation (1988)
(Figure 13).

McDAVID FIELD

McDavid field was discovered on
June 14, 1988 with the first
production test of the discovery well,
the Hughes Eastern Corp. Walker-Baley
number 34-2 (permit 1230, Appendix

1). This field was also plugged and
abandoned in 1991 after producing
solely from its discovery well. McDavid
field produced a total of 150,000
barrels of oil (Appendix 2). The
discovery well is located in Section 34,
Township 5 North, Range 31 West,
Escambia County (Appendix 1). It is
about one and one-half miles southeast
of the Bluff Springs discovery well
(Figures 3 and 13). As discussed above
for Bluff Springs field, this area, west
and southwest of Jay, is known to be
underlain by Louann Salt, With seismic
studies indicating salt-induced fault
structures in the overlying formations
(Lloyd and Applegate, 1987). Seismic
data has been interpreted by Hughes
Petroleum Corp. (1988) (Figure 13) to
indicate several small structures in a
northwest to southeast trend in this
specific area.
The discovery well produced
235 barrels of oil per day and no
saltwater. Oil gravity was 53.80 A.P.I.
Production was from Jurassic-age
Smackover Formation dolostones from
-16,075 to -16,089 feet MSL. These
dolostones were described by LSS as
gray to dark gray, sucrosic to granular,
with poor to fair porosity and
permeability. Examination of core chips
with a binocular microscope concurs
with this description. Core analysis by
LSS yielded a mean porosity estimate
of 15.9 percent for this zone.
Geophysical log analyses by Charles
Tootle (Professional Engineer, Florida
Geological Survey, personal
communication, 1988) yielded a mean
porosity estimate of 12.8 percent, an

original oil in place estimate of
4,987,347 barrels, and a recoverable
oil estimate of 498,736 barrels
(Appendix 8).
The first offset, permit 1234
(Hughes Eastern Corporation Jones
Estate number 34-1) is located about
one-half mile southeast of the
discovery well (Figure 13). The offset
was completed in June 1989. The
Smackover Formation was encountered
at -16,099 feet MSL, structurally 24
feet lower than in the discovery well
(Figure 14). The structure map (Figure
13) was drawn prior to the time this
well was drilled. As shown on the
map, Hughes Eastern Corporation
expected to encounter the Smackover
at about -16,050 feet MSL in this well.
Based on the actual depth (-16,099
feet MSL), the McDavid structure is
probably smaller than that shown. The
productive limit expected by Hughes is
still below this depth (at about -16,200
feet, Figure 13); however, analysis of
geophysical logs from this well indicate
that the oil-water contact may actually
be at about -16,102 feet MSL (Joel
Duncan, professional geologist, Florida
Geological Survey, personal
communication, 1991). In addition,
production from the discovery well
appears to have peaked around
December 1988 and may have
depleted this small structure enough to
move the potential productive limits
above the level of the Smackover in
the offset (Figure 15) (Joel Duncan,
professional geologist, Florida
Geological Survey, personal
communication, 1991).

Information Circular 111

MONTH/YEAR

-i- Oil -- Water

FGS160491

Figure 15. McDavid field production curve.

Florida Geological Survey

JAY FIELD

Jay field was discovered in
June, 1970, by the drilling of the
Humble St. Regis number 1 (permit
417) in Section 43, Township 5 North,
Range 29 West, Santa Rosa County
(Figures 3 and 16 and Appendix 1).
The well produced from the Smackover
Formation from -15,264 to -15,318
feet MSL. The initial production test
yielded 1,712 barrels of 50.70 A.P.I.
gravity oil and 23 barrels of saltwater
per day.
Jay field is located within the
"Jay trend" of Escambia and Santa
Rosa Counties, Florida and Escambia
County, Alabama (discussed in north
Florida oil fields introduction above).
The northern extension of Jay, in
Escambia County, Alabama, is the
Little Escambia Creek (LEC) field. Oil
accumulation at Jay is within an
asymmetric anticline with the fault
complex forming the eastern barrier to
oil migration (Figure 16) (Applegate and
Lloyd, 1985).
The northern limit of Jay field is
a porosity barrier in Alabama where the
lithology changes from porous
dolostone to dense, micritic limestone.
The porosity at Jay field is due to
dolomitization of the pelletal
grainstones in the upper, regressive
section of the Smackover Formation.
Dolomitization, fresh water leaching,
and an anhydrite cap rock (Buckner
Member of the Haynesville Formation,
Figure 4) have formed a complex,
extensive reservoir. Numerous analyses
of the Jay area Smackover Formation,

including comparisons with modern
carbonate environments, have been
made in attempts to understand this
complex reservoir (Ottman et al., 1973
and 1976; Sigsby, 1976; Mancini and
Benson, 1980; Lomando et al., 1981;
Vinet, 1984; Moore, 1984; Bradford,
1984; Lloyd et al., 1986).
Despite the complexity of the
Jay field Smackover Formation
reservoir, exploration and development
of the field have been extremely
successful. Core analyses were
combined with bottom hole pressure
data, porosity log information, and
other geologic data to arrive at a highly
successful reservoir management
program (Shirer et al., 1978; Langston
et al., 1981; Langston and Shirer,
1985).
As of December 1995, Jay field
was producing from a total of 51
wells, 32 wells were temporarily shut-
in, and there were 28 injection wells
(Appendix 3). Cumulative production
for Jay field, as of the end of 1995,
was 387,815,585 barrels of oil
(Appendix 2).

COLDWATER CREEK FIELD

Coldwater Creek field was
discovered on June 4,. 1988. The
discovery well was a reentry of a
Smackover wildcat. The original permit
was issued to Inexco Oil Company
(permit 1173). The location is about
two miles east of the southern portion
of Jay field in Section 26, Township 5
North, Range 29 West, Santa Rosa
County (Figure 3). Inexco began drilling

in November, 1985. They drilled the
well to a total depth of -15,407 feet
MSL, logged the well, and
recommended plugging and
abandonment.
The top of the Smackover
Formation had been encountered at
-14,969 feet MSL; the Norphlet
Sandstone at -15,331 feet MSL. Side
wall core analyses by Location Sample
Service, Inc. (Jackson, Mississippi)
indicated a potential oil productive zone
from -14,985 to -15,016 feet MSL.
Mean porosity of the zone was about
14.8 percent. Analysis of the same
interval by Charles Tootle yielded a
mean porosity of about 12 percent, an
original oil in place estimate of
2,080,107 barrels, and a recoverable
oil estimate of 312,016 barrels
(Appendix 8).
Louisiana Land and Exploration
Company (LL&E) took over operations
on January 10, 1986 and plugged and
abandoned the well. Bruxoil, Inc. then
took over responsibility for the well.
They conducted a geophysical survey
across the area (geophysical permit G-
70-86; see Lloyd, 1989). The stated
purpose was to determine whether to
reenter the existing well or drill at a
new location. They decided not to
reenter the well and have not
submitted any permit applications to
drillJrinthe vicinity.
In 1987, Red Rock Oil and
Minerals Corporation received permit
1220 (Appendix 1) to reenter the well.
They completed redrilling on May 24,
1987 and ran the first production test
on June 4, 1988. This test yielded 152

barrels per day of 46.50 A.P.I. gravity
oil and 280 barrels per day of
saltwater. In a retest on December 27,
1988, the well flowed 259 barrels per
day of 46.50 A.P.I. gravity oil with no
saltwater production. Production is
from the zone discussed above, from
-14,984 to -15,006 feet MSL in the
Smackover Formation. Judging from
the field's location within the Jay
trend, it appears that reservoir
formation may have been structurally
related to the Foshee Fault System;
however, a single well does not yield
sufficient information to test this
hypothesis.
No additional wells have been
drilled at Coldwater Creek field.
Cumulative production, as of December
1995 from Coldwater Creek field was
80,068 barrels of oil from this single
well (Appendix 2).

BLACKJACK CREEK FIELD

The Blackjack Creek field
discovery well was the Humble Oil and
Refining Company St. Regis Paper
Company number 13-3 well (permit
523) drilled in Section 13, Township 4
North, Range 29 West, Santa Rosa
County, about eight miles southeast of
Jay field (Appendix 1, Figures 3 and
17). The well was completed February
14, 1972, as a producer in the
Norphlet Sandstone from -15,965 to
-15,975 feet MSL. Initial production
was 371 barrels of 51.30 A.P.I. gravity
oil and 4.5 barrels of saltwater per day.
Due to limited productivity and water
production from the Norphlet

Sandstone, the well was recompleted
as a Smackover Formation producer
from -15,633 to -15,743 feet MSL.
The initial production test from the
Smackover, on January 22, 1975,
yielded 1,428 barrels of 51.20 A.P.I.
gravity oil and no saltwater.
Blackjack Creek field now
produces primarily from oolitic
dolostones of the Smackover
Formation (Applegate and Lloyd, 1 985)
A single well, permit 1080 (Figure 17),
produces from the Norphlet Sandstone.
The trapping structure is an anticline
located on the downthrown, southwest
side of the regional Foshee Fault
System (Figure 17). Similar to Jay
field, Blackjack Creek has been
carefully cored and analyzed to achieve
a successful reservoir management and
development program.
Cumulative production for
Blackjack Creek field was 56,805,223
barrels through December 1995
(Appendix 2) Of this total production,
578,533 barrels were produced from
the Norphlet Sandstone and
56,226,690 barrels were produced
from the Smackover Formation.
Through January 1996, 18 producing
wells and seven dry holes had been
drilled at Blackjack Creek. Ten wells
were actively being produced as of
December 1995 (Appendix 3).

MT. CARMEL FIELD

Mt. Carmel field was discovered
in December 1971 by LL&E. The
discovery well was the LL&E Finley
Heirs number 39-3 (permit 504),

located about one mile east of Jay field
in Section 39, Township 5 North,
Range 29 West, Santa Rosa County
(Appendix 1, Figures 3 and 18). Initial
production was 1,440 barrels of 470
A.P.I. gravity oil per day with no
saltwater.
Mt. Carmel field is separated
from Jay field by the Foshee Fault
System (Figure 18) Mt. Carmel field
produces both oil and gas from the
Smackover Formation and the Norphlet
Sandstone. Complex reservoir
geometry has apparently made
development of this field more difficult.
As of January 1996, three producing
wells and 12 dry holes had been drilled
at Mt. Carmel field.
There is currently one producing
well in the Mt. Carmel field. As of the
end of 1995, the field had produced
4,770,745 barrels of oil (Appendix 2).

McLELLAN FIELD

McLellan field was discovered on
February 15, 1986, with the initial
testing of the Exxon Corporation -
State of Florida number 33-1 (permit
1194, Appendix 1, Figures 3 and 19).
The well is located about 3.25 miles
north of the abandoned Sweetwater
Creek field in Section 33, Township 6
North, Range 26 West, Santa Rosa
County.
An initial flowing test of the
discovery well produced 1 52 barrels of
410 A.P.I. gravity oil per day and no
saltwater. Production is from
Smackover Formation dolostones from
-13,827 to -13,845 feet MSL (Figure

Information Circular 111

FGS021097

Figure 18. Mt. Carmel field structure map,
1974).

top of Norphlet Sandstone (after Miller,

Florida Geological Survey

ALABAMA

FLORIDA
29

5

P175
8

1 0 1 MI
1.6 0 1.6 KM
SCALE

EXPLANATION
1136 PERMIT NUMBER
-16176 DEPTH
0 PRODUCER
4- DRY HOLE

- S

P12260
-13773
P153 0
P1194
-13815

- -

* P1206
-13788

R26W R25W
25
I

36

T 6 N

T 5 N
T5N

* P881
-14045

4- P890
-14071

22

d

(.)
01

23 24 Z

Figure 19. McLellan and Sweetwater Creek fields well location map.

McLELLAN FIELD

6

7

SWEETWATER

CREEK FIELD

Information Circular 111

20). Core analysis of a potential oil and
gas productive zone from -13,819 to
-13,845 feet MSL by Core
Laboratories, Inc. (Dallas, Texas)
indicated a mean porosity of 12.3
percent. The analysis showed
additional oil and gas production
potential between -13,854 and
-13,863 feet MSL. Mean porosity is
about 15 percent for this zone. Both of
the analyzed zones contained dark, fine
grained, microcrystalline dolostones
with vuggy porosity.
McLellan field is located within
the area known to be underlain by the
Louann Salt and may have a salt-
related trap structure. It is also located
within a few miles of the approximate
updip limits of the Smackover
Formation (Lloyd, 1989; Applegate et
al., 1978; Ottman et al., 1973, 1976);
thus, the trap could be a stratigraphic
pinchout. Current data does not reveal
which trap mechanism produced the
Smackover reservoir for this field.
The first offset and confirmation
well for the field was the Exxon
Corporation State of Florida number
34-2 (permit 1206). It is located about
one-half mile east of the discovery well
(Figure 19). It was tested on March 9,
1987 and flowed 641 barrels of 43.40
A.P.I. gravity oil and 24 barrels of
saltwater per day. The Smackover
Formation was encountered at -13,788
feet MSL, 27 feet higher than in the
discovery well (Figure 20). Production
is from the Smackover Formation from
-13,797 to -13,847 feet MSL. Core
analysis by All Points, Inc. (Houston,

Texas) yielded a mean porosity of 11.5
percent for the productive zone.
A second offset to the discovery
well, Exxon Corporation State of
Florida number 28-4 (permit 1226)
was drilled about one-half mile north of
the discovery well (Figure 19). During
initial production tests, in February
1988, the well flowed 154 barrels of
oil (gravity not reported) and 171
barrels of saltwater per day. The
Smackover was encountered 42 feet
higher in this well than in the discovery
well (Figure 20), indicating a fairly
steep gradient between these wells.
This second offset well has since been
converted to a salt water disposal well.
As of December 1995,
production for McLellan field was from
the two remaining wells and totaled
351,617 barrels of oil (Appendix 2 and
3).

SWEETWATER CREEK FIELD

Sweetwater Creek field was
discovered on April 22, 1977, with the
successful flow test of the Houston Oil
and Minerals Corporation W. M.
Stokes number 15-2 well (permit 881,
Appendix 1, Figures 3 and 19). The
well is located in Section 15, Township
5 North, Range 26 West, Santa Rosa
County. In the initial test the well
produced 624 barrels of 43.50 A.P.I.
gravity oil and only a trace of saltwater
from a Smackover limestone interval
from -14,044 to -14,085 feet MSL.
This test data spurred rumors that a
"new Jay" field had been discovered.
Rumors proved to be false and an

Florida Geological Survey

KO
CD
oJ

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I^

Figure 20. Geophysical log correlation, McLellan field.

.
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00

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0

Information Circular 111

offset drilled in 1978 to the south of
the discovery well was dry (permit
890, Figure 19). Core analyses of the
Smackover Formation in the offset well
by Core Laboratories, Inc. (Dallas,
Texas) indicated very fine crystalline,
gray brown limestone and dolostone,
with low porosity and permeability, and
potential for only saltwater production.
The field produced a total of 13,695
barrels of oil during its entire lifetime
(Appendix 2). The discovery well was
the only producer at Sweetwater Creek
field and was plugged and abandoned
in December 1980, after it began
producing 100 percent saltwater.

South Florida Oil Field Summaries

INTRODUCTION

South Florida oil production
began with Florida's first oil discovery
at Sunniland field in September, 1943.
There are now 14 oil fields in south
Florida, oriented in a northwest-
southeast trend through Lee, Hendry,
Collier and Dade Counties (Figure 1).
Of these 14 Sunniland trend oil fields,
seven are active, three are temporarily
shut-in, and four are plugged and
abandoned.
Reservoirs found along the
Sunniland trend are composed of
localized buildups of organic debris into
mounds or pods which formed porous
grainstones within the upper Sunniland
Formation (Figure 2). The fauna which
make up these bioherms include
rudistids, algal plates, gastropods, and
foraminifera. Dolomitization has

enhanced the porosity of these
grainstones. The grainstones grade
laterally into nonporous, miliolid-rich
mudstones (Means, 1977; Mitchell-
Tapping, 1984, 1985, and 1986).
These miliolid mudstones often provide
the trapping mechanism for these
reservoirs.
The exception to the above
general description of south Florida oil
fields is Lake Trafford field. Lake
Trafford produces oil from a fractured
limestone in the lower Sunniland
Formation (Means, 1977).

LEHIGH PARK FIELD

The discovery well for the
Lehigh Park field was the Exxon
Consolidated Tomoka number 22-4
(permit 712) drilled in Section 22,
Township 44 South, Range 26 East,
Lee County (Appendix 1, Figures 1 and
21). This is the most northwesterly
field in the Sunniland trend. The
discovery well was completed on July
30, 1974, in the -11,349 to -11,354
foot MSL interval of the Sunniland
Formation. Initial production was 490
barrels of 27.60 A.P.I. gravity oil and
48 barrels of saltwater per day. This
well was later abandoned and a
deviated well (permit 712A) was drilled
at the same surface location to
produce higher on the structure. A total
of nine dry holes were drilled to
delineate this field. All of the producing
wells were directionally drilled because
bottom hole locations are beneath the
town of Lehigh Acres.

Figure 21 is a structure map of
the top of the Sunniland Formation
(Ferber, 1985) at Lehigh Park field. The
reservoir appears to be typical of the
south Florida Sunniland trend fields, a
leached limestone bioherm. Core
analysis by R. E. Laboratories, Inc.
(Dallas, Texas) yielded an average
porosity of 19.7 percent for the
Sunniland Formation from -11,337 to
-11,364 feet MSL. They described this
interval as a tan to brown,
fossiliferous, partially dolomitized
limestone.
One well was actively
producing, and production totaled
5,462,076 barrels of oil at the end of
December 1995 for this field
(Appendices 2 and 3).

TOWNSEND CANAL FIELD

Townsend Canal field is located
in Section 2, Township 45 South,
Range 28 East, Hendry County,
approximately three miles north of Mid-
Felda field, within the Sunniland trend
(Figure 1). It was discovered on June
27, 1982, with the first production
test of the Natural Resources
Management Corporation A. Duda &
Sons number 2-3 well (permit 1070).
The test produced 160 barrels of 28.40
A.P.I. gravity oil and 42 barrels of
saltwater per day. Production is from
the Sunniland Formation between
-11,363 and -11,368 feet MSL
(Appendix 1).
One well was producing at
Townsend Canal field at the end of
1995 (Appendix 3). Production totaled

526,420 barrels of oil at the end of
1995 (Appendix 2).

WEST FELDA FIELD

West Felda field was discovered
on August 2, 1966, with the drilling of
the Sun Red Cattle number 21-3 well
(permit 371) in Section 21, Township
45 South, Range 28 East, Hendry
County. The filed now extends into Lee
County (Appendix 1, Figures 1 and
22). The first production test yielded
56 barrels of 24.60 A.P.I. gravity oil
and 148 barrels of saltwater per day
from the -11,437 to -11,440 foot MSL
interval of the Sunniland Formation.
The field is mainly a stratigraphic
trap; however, structural closure is
more evident than at Sunoco Felda
field (Figure 22). The main producing
unit has a composition typical of the
south Florida Sunniland trend fields
(Means, 1977; Mitchell-Tapping,
1986). Means (1977) summarized the
reservoir characteristics for West Felda
field as follows: average pay thickness
of 17 feet, average porosity of 20
percent, average water saturation of
35 percent, A.P.I. oil gravity of 260,
and average daily oil production of
4,600 barrels. Values indicate
improved reservoir quality over Sunoco
Felda field.
Means (1977) believed that the
reservoir quality was improved because
West Felda field "experienced higher
energy and more-normal marine
conditions" than did Sunoco Felda
field. Alternatively, Mitchell-Tapping
(1986) considered the energy levels

topographically higher" at West Felda
field.
At the end of December 1995,
six wells were producing at West Felda
field and cumulative production totaled
43,301,266 barrels of oil (Appendices
2 and 3).

MID-FELDA FIELD

The Mid-Felda field discovery
well was the R. L. Burns Red Cattle
number 27-4 (permit 904) in Section
27, Township 45 South, Range 28
East in Hendry County, Florida
(Appendix 1). The well was completed
in the -11,433 to -11,437 foot MSL
interval of the Sunniland Formation on
October 13, 1977. An initial
production test on October 24, 1977
yielded 281 barrels of 260 A.P.I.
gravity oil and 53.6 barrels of saltwater
per day (Appendix 1).
The well is located on a small
subsurface feature between West
Felda field and Sunoco Felda field
(Figure 22). Samples from the
producing zone show a partially
dolomitized fossil hash with about ten
feet of oil staining. Geophysical log
analysis indicated approximately 20
percent porosity for an eight-foot
interval (Applegate and Lloyd, 1985).
At the end of 1995, two wells
were actively producing (Appendix 3).
Cumulative production, as of the end
of December 1995 was 1,484,994
barrels of oil (Appendix 2).

SUNOCO FELDA FIELD

The Sunoco Felda-field, located
in Hendry and Collier Counties, was
discovered in July 1964 by Sunoco,
when they drilled the discovery well
(Appendix 1). The well (the Sun Red
Cattle number 32-1; permit 315) is
located in Section 32, Township 45
South, Range 29 East. Sunoco Felda
was the second commercial oil field
discovered in Florida and was
discovered 21 years after the first
commercial discovery (Sunniland field).
Forty Mile Bend field was discovered in
1954 but turned out to be non-
commercial and was abandoned in
1956. The Sunoco Felda discovery
well location was based on a
combination of subsurface and seismic
data (Tyler and Erwin, 1976).
In an initial pumping test in
November 1964, the discovery well
produced 427 barrels of 25.40 A.P.I.
gravity oil and 11 barrels of saltwater
per day. Production is from the
Sunniland Formation from -11,417 to
-11,430 feet MSL from a leached
limestone bioherm. The faunal
composition of the bioherm is
somewhat typical of the Sunniland
reservoirs (as described in the south
Florida oil fields introduction above)
(Means, 1977; Mitchell-Tapping,
1986). Mitchell-Tapping (1986)
observed faunal differences at Sunoco
Felda field which indicated formation in
"the shallow lagoonal zone of the back-
reef environment." The reservoir has a
permeability barrier to the northeast

Florida Geological Survey

"the shallow lagoonal zone of the back-
reef environment." The reservoir has a
permeability barrier to the northeast
which prevents migration of the oil up-
dip (Tyler and Erwin, 1977).
Means (1977) summarized the
reservoir characteristics of Sunoco
Felda field. These include an average
pay zone thickness of 11 feet, average
porosity of 18 percent, average water
saturation of 50 percent, A.P.I. oil
gravity of 250, and average daily oil
production of 1,700 barrels.
The last reported production
from Sunoco Felda field was in August,
1992 and all producing wells have
been plugged and abandoned. The total
production for this field was
11,528,000 barrels of oil (Appendix 2).

CORKSCREW FIELD

Corkscrew field was discovered
on November 10, 1985 with an initial
swab test of the R. K. Petroleum Rex
Properties number 33-2 (permit 1170,
Appendix 1). Corkscrew field is located
about two and one-half miles north and
slightly west of the one-well Lake
Trafford field in Collier County, Florida
(Figures 1 and 23). In its initial test,
the discovery well produced 435
barrels of 250 A.P.I. gravity oil per day
with no saltwater. Production was
from open hole in the Sunniland at
-11,502 to -11,520 feet MSL.
Core analysis by Analytical
Logging, Inc. (Ft. Myers, Florida)
indicated an oil producing zone from
-11,506 to -11,515 feet MSL. The
zone was described as a "fossil-hash"

of dolomitic limestone with an average
porosity of 15.25 percent. This
description, and the small closed
structure drawn by LeBar (Petroleum
Engineer, Florida Geological Survey,
personal communication, 1996) (Figure
23), are again consistent with a
bioherm formation for the reservoir.
Two successful offsets have
been drilled at Corkscrew field (Figure
23, permits 1199 and 1201 A) (Lloyd,
1989). In addition, permit 1243C, a
reentry and sidetrack of the Permit
1224 (a dry hole), was completed as a
producer in 1993, but was ultimately
deemed non-commercial. Corkscrew
field's total oil production as of January
1, 1996 was 966,703 barrels
(Appendix 2).

LAKE TRAFFORD FIELD

Lake Trafford field was
discovered by Mobil Oil Corporation on
the Baron Collier Jr. lease in Section 9,
Township 47 South, Range 28 East in
Collier County (Figures 1 and 24). The
discovery well (permit 401) was
completed on March 30, 1969
(Appendix 1). During initial production
tests the well pumped 118 barrels of
25.60 A.P.I. gravity oil and 78 barrels
of saltwater per day. Production was
from the Sunniland Formation from
-11,830 to -11,892 feet MSL. The well
was later squeeze cemented to shut off
water from above the perforations. The
well is unique in south Florida in that it
has not produced water since that
time.

Lake Trafford field is also unique
in south Florida as the only field which
produces oil from a fractured limestone
in the lower Sunniland Formation
(Means, 1977). This producing horizon
has been described as an argillaceous,
burrowed, limestone "rubble." Figure
24 is a structure map on top of this
"Rubble Zone" as mapped by Jim
LeBar (Petroleum Engineer, Florida
Geological Survey, personal
communication, 1996). The
combination of burrowing and
fracturing was believed to be
responsible for the development of
producible permeability and porosity
(Jim Richter, Mobil Oil Corporation,
personal communication, in Applegate
and Lloyd, 1985).
Offsets drilled northwest and
south of the discovery well were dry
holes. The discovery well remains the
single producing well for Lake Trafford
field. The well has been periodically
shut-in due to mechanical problems
and has been producing only
sporadically since March 1988. This
well is still capable of producing
substantial reserves if the mechanical
problems can be solved (Jim LeBar,
Petroleum Engineer, Florida Geological
Survey, personal communication,
1996). The last reported production
was during 1992. Total oil production
for this field, as of January 1996, was
278,000 barrels (Appendix 2).

SUNNILAND FIELD

In September 1943, Humble Oil
and Refining Company discovered

Sunniland field in Collier County,
Florida (Appendix 1, Figures 1 and 25).
This was the first commercial oil
discovered in Florida. The discovery
well was the Humble Oil and Refining
Company Gulf Coast Realties number
1 (permit 42) located in Section 29,
Township 48 South, Range 30 East.
The well was completed in an open
hole interval between -11,568 and
-11,592 feet MSL. Initial production
was 97 barrels of 260 A.P.I. gravity oil
and 425 barrels of saltwater per day by
pumping.
The well was drilled on a
prospect outlined by magnetic, gravity,
seismic, and core data. Production in
the field is from various porous zones
in rudistid mounds in the upper 60 feet
of the formation. Mitchell-Tapping
(1985) described the producing horizon
as consisting of leached rudist and
algal particles together with pellets and
foraminifers. Mitchell-Tapping's (1985)
study of Sunniland, Bear Island, and
Forty Mile Bend fields concluded that
the depositional environment of these
fields was that of a tidal shoal with a
landward (east-northeast) mud-flat area
and a seaward (west-southwest)
shallow-water back-reef area. The
structure map (Figure 25) for the
Sunniland field shows a northwest-
southeast trending dome that formed
as these rudistid beds grew with
slowly-rising sea level during the Lower
Cretaceous. The dome is about four
miles long and two miles wide with
closure of about 40 feet.
Twenty-six producing wells and
ten dry holes have been drilled at

Florida Geological Survey

Figure 25. Sunniland field structure map, top of Sunniland Formation.

Information Circular 111

Sunniland field. After producing oil for
over 50 years, increased saltwater
production has forced abandonment of
Sunniland field. All but two of the
producing wells have been plugged and
abandoned. It is unlikely that the
remaining two wells (which are shut-in)
will produce any additional oil (Jim
LeBar, Petroleum Engineer, Florida
Geological Survey, personal
communication, 1996). The oil
production total for Sunniland field, as
of January 1996, was 18,445,000
barrels of oil (Appendix 2).

SEMINOLE FIELD

The discovery well for the
Seminole field was the Weiner-Oleum
Corporation well number 12-1 (permit
662) in Section 12, Township 48
South, Range 32 East, Hendry County
(Appendix 1, Figure 1). The well was
completed in the -11,379 to -11,384
foot MSL interval of the Sunniland
Formation on November 14, 1973.
Initial production was 26 barrels of
25.40 A.P.I. gravity oil and eight barrels
of saltwater per day. This three-well oil
field was abandoned in 1978 after
producing a total of 85,000 barrels of
oil (Appendix 2).

BEAR ISLAND FIELD

Bear Island field was discovered
on December 5, 1972, with the
completion of the Exxon Gulf Coast
Realties number 2-4 well (permit 563)
in Section 2, Township 49 South,

Range 30 East (Appendix 1, Figures 1
and 26). The field is located about two
miles southeast of Sunniland field. The
discovery well pumped 132 barrels of
260 A.P.I. gravity oil and 545 barrels of
saltwater per day from perforations
between -11,558 and -11,564 feet
MSL in Sunniland carbonates.
The structure map of Bear Island
field (Figure 26) indicates a northwest-
southeast trending dome about 4.5
miles long and 2.5 miles wide with a
closure of about 55 feet. Mitchell-
Tapping (1985) found this field to have
the same faunal assemblage as
Sunniland field; his conclusion
concerning the general depositional
environment is listed above in the
description of Sunniland field. Despite
the generally similar origin, Mitchell-
Tapping (1985) found Bear Island field
to be lithologically different from
Sunniland field. Most of the Sunniland
Formation at Bear Island field is
dolomitized and is more leached than
at Sunniland field. Anhydrite and some
secondary dolomitization has reduced
the effective permeability in some
sections. Dolomitization in the lower
units of the upper Sunniland, however,
enhanced both porosity and
permeability (Mitchell-Tapping, 1985).
A total of 25 producing wells
have been drilled at Bear Island field;
five of these were active at the end of
1995 (Appendix 3). Total oil
production, through December 1995,
was 11,318,991 barrels (Appendix 2).

Pepper Hammock was
discovered on September 28, 1978.
The discovery well, the Exxon
Corporation Collier Company number
23-1 well (permit 897), is located in
Section 23, Township 29 South,
Range 30 East, approximately one and
one-half miles south of Bear Island field
(Appendix 1, Figure 1). The initial
production test yielded 20 barrels of
270 A.P.I. gravity oil and 206 barrels of
saltwater per day. Production was from
Sunniland limestones between -11,586
and -11,590 feet MSL. The discovery
well is the only well at Pepper
Hammock and is shut-in. A total of
323 barrels of oil were produced before
the well was shut-in in October 1978
(Appendix 2).

BAXTER ISLAND FIELD

Baxter Island field is a one-well,
abandoned field located approximately
eight miles southeast of Bear Island
field (Figure 1). The single producer
and discovery well was the Diamond
Shamrock Gerry Brothers Ltd. number
31-3 well (permit 865) located in
Section 31, Township 49 South,
Range 32 East, Collier County
(Appendix 1). In its initial production
test on August 11, 1977, the well
pumped 35 barrels of 22.40 A.P.I.
gravity oil and 220 barrels of saltwater
per day. Production was from the
Sunniland Formation from -11,482 to
-11,485 feet MSL. The field produced
a total of 1,859 barrels of oil before

the well was shut-in in 1978 (Appendix
2). The well was plugged and
abandoned on January 12, 1980.

RACCOON POINT FIELD

Raccoon Point field is the
southeastern-most active field in the
Sunniland trend (Figure 1). Its
discovery well was the Exxon -Oleum
Corporation number 33-4 (permit 829)
drilled in Section 33, Township 51
South, Range 43 East, Collier County
(Appendix 1, Figure 27). Initial
production was from the -11,371 to
-11,375 foot MSL interval of the
Sunniland Formation. In a production
test on June 20, 1978, the well
pumped 57 barrels of 23.30 A.P.I.
gravity oil and 845 barrels of saltwater
per day.
Figure '27 indicates a structure
similar to other Sunniland producing
fields. At the end of 1995, six wells
were actively producing (Appendix 3).
Oil production totaled 8,569,027
barrels at the end of December 1995
(Appendix 2).

FORTY MILE BEND FIELD

Commonwealth Oil Company
drilled the Wiseheart State Board of
Education number 1 wildcat (permit
167) in Section 16, Township 45
South, Range 35 East, Dade County. It
was located 50 miles southeast of
Sunniland field (Appendix 1, Figure 1).
The well was completed in the -11,298
to -11,315 foot MSL interval of the
Sunniland Formation and was initially

tested on February 5, 1954. In this
initial test, the well pumped an
estimated 76 barrels of 21.30 A.P.I.
gravity oil and 96 barrels of saltwater
per day. Core examination (Applegate
and Lloyd, 1985) in the open interval
showed a partially to fully oil-saturated,
finely crystalline dolostone and
limestone with pin-point porosity,
which did not appear to be commercial.
The second well in the Forty
Mile Bend field, the Gulf Oil State of
Florida number 1 well (permit 182),
was also completed in 1954. The well
is located about three and one-quarter
miles east of the discovery well (Figure
1). It was completed as a pumping well
in the -11,309 to -11,316 foot MSL
interval of the Sunniland Formation.
Initial production was 112 barrels of
21.70 A.P.I. gravity oil per day. Water
production was not tabulated.
The distance between the two
wells comprising Forty Mile Bend field
indicate that they probably did not
produce from the same reservoir.

Mitchell-Tapping (1985) studied the
fauna and lithology of Sunniland, Bear
Island, and Forty Mile Bend fields. His
description of the depositional
environment for these fields is
discussed above in the Sunniland field
description. He found the lithology and
fauna at Forty Mile Bend to be similar
to that of Sunniland field, except for
the presence of anhydrite in the pore
space and an increase in the dolomite
content.
Low oil gravity and low porosity
and permeability in the Sunniland at
both well locations made this field non-
commercial. In addition, a half-inch
hole was found in the casing of the
Gulf well (permit 182) at -10,027 feet
MSL. This could have caused excessive
water flow, and thus shortened the
productive life of this well. Both of the
Forty Mile Bend wells were abandoned
in 1956, after producing only 32,888
barrels of oil in about 17 months in
1954 and 1955 (Appendix 2) (Gunter,
1955 and 1956).

1. Updated from estimates by Charles H. Tootle in Uoyd, 1994. See Uoyd, 1994 for explanation of methods used to determine reserve estimates. ABBREVIATIONS: MCF Thousand Cubic Feet
2. Fields are listed In approximate order from northwest to southeast. SCF Standard Cubic Feet
3 Plugged and abandoned oil fields. STB Stock Tank Barrels
4. Northwest Florida subtotals use Jay (FL only) data.
DISCLAIMER:
An attempt was made to present realistic estimates; however, no guarantee or warranty is expressed or implied. Anyone who uses this information does so at their own risk.